About the Department of Anthropology
Anthropology lies at the intersection of the multiple approaches to the study of humankind that characterize other disciplines – biological, social, cultural, historical, linguistic, cognitive, material, technological and aesthetic – because of its unique holistic perspective. These multiple approaches are encapsulated in the four traditional subfields that have composed the discipline since its establishment in the 19th century: cultural, archaeological, biological and linguistic anthropology. Anthropologists typically engage in particularistic research (devoted to specific topics, regions, theoretical and methodological concerns) that ultimately contributes to the “big questions” about the human experience.
The Department’s mission is to maintain the vision of anthropology encapsulated in these strengths among its faculty, graduate students, undergraduate majors and other students taking anthropology courses and to foster an understanding of anthropology within the university community and beyond. For more information, please review our mission statement.
